A Pivotal Stride towards Learner Autonomy: Utilising Language Learning Strategies in an ESL University

Abstract

Research has revealed that utilisation of the English language learning strategies (ELLSs) is essential for supporting learner autonomy (LA). Yet, most of these studies focus on English as a foreign language, leaving studies on English as a second language on the fringes of current literature, though the two are distinct. Thus, this paper examined the effect of ELLSs on LA of ESL technical university students, as well as the individual effects of the six categories of ELLSs (memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective and social strategies) on LA. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted on 2022/2023 first-year 773 students who were selected through stratified random sampling. Oxford’s Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and Karabıyık’s measures of learner autonomy were used to assess ELLSs and LA, respectively. Data were collected via google form. A multiple regression analysis was used to test the proposed research model. The results revealed that ELLSs have a positive impact on LA. While all six categories of ELLs improved LA, affective strategies improved LA the most. Despite the significance of affective strategies in fostering LA in this study, earlier research has largely focused on affective factors such as motivation, for autonomous learning. Thus, this study reveals a novel finding  that affective strategies may be the most effective at facilitating autonomous learning in an ESL context, specifically a university setting in Ghana. The study backs up the Constructivism theory's claim that learner autonomy occurs as a result of social interaction, which includes learning strategies. The study confirms that in a Ghanaian ESL context, when the learners utilise ELLSs, they go through the zone of proximal development (ZPD) until optimal performance is achieved (in this context until the learner becomes an autonomous learner). Thus, Ghanaian technical university English teachers should be trained on effective ELLSs use to help students adopt appropriate ELLSs to improve their autonomous learning.